Ludek Pachman, Chess Grandmaster

March 14, 2003|The New York Times

Ludek Pachman, a chess grandmaster and writer who was twice imprisoned for criticizing the government of his native Czechoslovakia after the Soviet occupation in 1968, died on March 6, in Passau, Germany. He was 78.

Before the occupation, Mr. Pachman was best known for chess. He won the championship of Czechoslovakia seven times between 1946 and 1966 and represented the country in international competitions.

Mr. Pachman became a supporter of Alexander Dubcek, the head of Czechoslovakia's Communist Party who instituted reforms. The resulting "Prague Spring" ended when Soviet tanks rolled into the capital on Aug. 21, 1968, and Dubcek was ousted.

In August 1969, Mr. Pachman was arrested. He was released in 1970 but was rearrested in January 1972.

He was released in the summer of 1972. In November, he was allowed to leave the country, and he settled in West Germany.

He wrote a book about his experiences, called Checkmate in Prague: The Memoirs of a Grandmaster. To support himself, he began writing chess books.

Two of his works, Modern Chess Strategy and Decisive Games in Chess History, are considered among the best books explaining strategy in the middle game.